Draft-regulator for locomotives



(No Model.)

C. A. MGOULLOCH 8; P. WELLIVER. DRAFT REGULATOR POR LOGOMOTIVRR No. 515,154.

lUNITED Srafrns Pa'rnNr Ormes.

CHARLES A. MCOULLOOH AND FRANK WELLIVER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DRAFT-REGU LATOR VFOR LOCONIOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,154, dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed June 1, 1893. Serial No. 476,234. (No model.)

vTo tI/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. MCOUL- LOCH and FRANK WELLIVER, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Regulators for Locomotives; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

Our invent-ion has for its object to provide an ecient draft regulator for locomotives and other engines. To this end, we provide a tine discharge hood, extending from the boiler head into the smoke box, and in the mouth of the discharge hood, we place an expansible and contractible divider. By this arrangement, an equal draft is afforded on all the 'lues, which may be rendered more or less free, or be more or less sharpened, at will, by the expansible and contractible divider. In our preferred construction, the discharge hood is formed by convergent upper and lower deflecting plates, projecting from the boiler head, one from above and the other from below the flues, into the smoke-box, and co-operating with the side walls of the same; and the contractible and expansible divider is made of wedge-shape, and constructed in three sections, the edge member of which is fixed to the hood, and the body or wing members of which are pivoted to the edge member, and provided with means for securing the sanne in any desired angular adjustment, with respect to each other, and with respect to the said edge member.

Our invention, in its preferred form, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as applied to an extension front locomotive boiler.

Therein like letters referring to like parts throughout the several views,-Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section, through a boiler of the class described equipped with our draft regulator. Fig. 2 is a cross section through the smoke-box or extension front end, on the line X X of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section,through a part of the smoke-box, on the 5o line Y Y of Fig. 2, some parts being broken away; and Fig. 4 is a detail, showing a crosssection of the divider detached.

A represents the shell and B the dues of an ordinary locomotive boiler. A is the dry pipe, and B the front end flue sheet or boiler head. D is the extension front smoke-box, provided with the ordinary door-space D', at its outer end. D2 is the stack and D3 the adjustable petticoat-pipe. E is the exhaust-nozzle, all of the ordinary standard construction.

F F are the pair of convergent deflecting plates, proj eating from the boiler-head or fluesheet B into the smoke-box, one from above, and the other from below the flues, and cooperating with the side walls of the smokebox D, to form the flue discharge hood. It is obvious, from this construction and arrangement of the converging plates F F, with respect to the smoke-box D. that the upper and lower'walls of the flue discharge hood will be convergent, while the side walls of the same will be parallel. The outer ends of the hood-plates F, are held properly spaced apart, to form a suitable discharge mouth, in `any suitable way, as byA attachment to blocks F', secured to the interior of the smoke-box B.

G is the edge section of the wedge-shaped divider, fixed by bolts g, or otherwise, to the discharge hood. As shown, the same is bolted to the spacing-blocks F. G G are the pair of body or Wing sections of the divider, pivoted, as shown at g', to the ixed edge section G. The Wings G are provided with slotted arms g2, through which work headed-bolts g3 into corresponding seats in the spacing blocks F', or other suitable fixed parts, `to hold the or draft, which might ever be permissible.

The divider G G', can then be made to take up more or less of this opening, in order to contract the passage, and produce as sharp a draft as may be desired. In virtue of its wedge-shape, the divider will effect this result, of regulating the draft, at will, by the adjustment of the wing sections G', in the most efcient Way, with respect to the distribution of the draft on the ues. In other words, as the wing sections G are independently adjustable, with respect to each other, the openings between the same and their respective hood-plates F may be independently varied, to adapt the same to certain existing conditions; as, forinstance, in the case shown,

. the point of the divider being below the central iiues, the space opening between the upper Wing G and the upper hood-plate F, is made larger than the corresponding lower opening; this giving a substantially equal draft on all of the iues. The cross section of the wedge-shaped divider may be of any desired length, and the edge section G may be fixed, once for all, in any desired position, with respect to the mouth of the iue discharge hood. The divider, however, is not adjustable forward and backward of the hood. Its only adjustment is in respect to the wings G. In other words, by the pivoted wings G', the divider is rendered expansible and contractible in the vertical plane, with respect to the outer edges of the converging plates F.

It is obvious, that our draft regulator is of very simple construction, and would be of comparatively small cost. .Such a draft regulator is very desirable on locomotives and some other kinds of engines, as it will enable the use of larger sized exhaust nozzles. This of course, will produce less back pressure in the engines, and enable the same to work with increased efficiency.

Regardless of the question of the exhaust nozzle, our draft regulator will produce economy in the use of fuel.'

What We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a locomotive or other engine, the combination with a flue discharge hood, extending from the boiler head into the smoke-box, of an expansible and contractible divider, located in the mouth of said discharge hood, for regulating the draft, substantially as described.

2. In a locomotive or other engine, the combination with a iue discharge hood, extending from the boiler head into the smoke-box, of a wedge-shaped expansible and contractible divider located in the mouth of said discharge hood, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a locomotive or other engine, the combination with a flue discharge hood, having convergent walls, extending from the boiler head into the smoke-box, of an expansible and contractible divider, located in the mouth of said discharge hood, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a locomotive or other engine, the combination with a liue discharge hood, extending from the boiler-head into the smoke-box,

having convergent upper and lower walls, andl parallel side-walls, and an expansible and contractible wedge-shaped divider, locatedin the mouth of said discharge hood, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In alocomotive or other engine, the coinbination with a Hue discharge hood, extending from the boiler-head into the smoke-box, of a wedge-shaped divider in the mouth of said hood, constructed in sections, the edge section of which is fixed to the hood, and the body or wing sections of which are pivoted to the edge sections, and are securable in any desirable angular adjustment, with respect to each other and the said edge section, for regulating the draft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses. l

CHARLES A. MCGULLOCH. FRANK WELLIVER. Witnesses:

JAS. F. `WILLIAMSON, EMMA F. ELMORE. 

